Matilda De Angelis is an Italian actress and singer who is well known for starring in the Italian films Veloce come il vento (2016), Youtopia (2018), and L’incredibile storia dell’Isola delle Rose (2020), and the television series The Undoing (2020).
Wiki/Biography
Matilda De Angelis was born on Monday, September 11, 1995 (age 25 years; as of 2020), in Bologna, Italy. Her zodiac sign is Virgo. She grew up in the outskirts of rural Bologna, where she attended Liceo Scientifico Enrico Fermi. In an interview, while sharing her childhood memories, she said,
I grew up in the middle of nowhere. Farms, animals, that kind of thing. You expect that you’ll be there your whole life. I always wanted something more than that for myself.”
Since childhood, she was inclined towards music and started playing the guitar at the age of eleven. Eventually, she also learned to play the violin, and then she excelled in pianoforte. Although she never pursued a course in acting, she secured herself the lead role in the film Veloce come il vento (2016) when a casting director saw some of her pictures on Facebook. Apparently, the casting director wasn’t looking for an established actress as he was searching for woman who spoke dialect from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. In an interview, she said,
I didn’t train to be an actress. I never went to a school of acting. I just started acting in a very strange and casual way. So I think I realized that I wanted to be an actress when I saw my first movie coming out, and I felt so happy and excited.”
After securing a role in the film Veloce come il vento (2016), she pursued a workshop by the acting coach, Doris Hicks.
Physical Appearance
[1] Height: 5′ 6″ (166 cm)
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Family & Relationships
Parents & Siblings
Matilda De Angelis’ mother, Tania Troilo, works as an insurer, while her father, Lorenzo de Angelis, works as a graphic designer. Her brother, Tobia De Angelis, is an oboe player, budding chef, short story writer, and actor who played the role of Matilda’s character’s brother, Denis, in the Italian television series ‘Tutto può succedere’ (2015).
Matilda De Angelis with her father and brother
Matilda De Angelis with her mother and brother
Relationships, Husband & Children
From 2017-2020, Matilda De Angelis was in a relationship with the Italian actor Andrea Arcangeli.
Matilda De Angelis with her boyfriend Andrea Arcangeli
In 2021, she started dating the Italian rapper William Mezzanotte (famously known as Nayt). The couple made the acquaintance while shooting for the film ‘Robbing Mussolini’ in Venice, Italy.
Matilda De Angelis and William Mezzanotte
Career
Music
Her extraordinary musical skills led her to join the popular band ‘Rumba de Bodas’ at the age of sixteen. The band consisted of Matilda and seven other young musicians from Bologna who set out on a musical journey. They extensively toured around Europe in a yellow van, performed at various international musical events, left a lasting impression on numerous countries, and recorded the album ‘Karnaval Fou’ in 2014.
Karnaval Fou (2014)
In an interview, she said,
When I was sixteen years old, I got into a band, a well-known band in my hometown, Rumba de Bodas, and we traveled around Europe in a yellow van. It was one of the best experiences in my life and I was with this band for five years.”
Film
Matilda De Angelis made her film debut in 2016 when she played the lead role of Giulia De Martino in the Italian sports-drama film ‘Veloce come il vento’ (Italian Race). In the film, Giulia De Martino is a seventeen-year-old race car driver who participates in the Italian Race, an illegal and dangerous race, to write off her debts. Matilda earned the nomination for the David di Donatello (2017), the Italian equivalent of the Oscars, in the category of Best Actress for playing the role of Giulia De Martino. The film also featured the song titled “Seventeen,” written and sung by Matilda. The song was immensely appreciated and went on to receive the nomination for Best Original Song at David di Donatello (2017).
Veloce come il Vento (2016)
In 2017, she played the supporting role of Stella in the Italian drama film ‘Una Famiglia.’ In the film, Stella is a homeless girl who sleeps on the roofs or in a dumpster. Circumstances change when Stella meets a father-like figure, who suggests her to be a surrogate for wealthy couples who cannot have children.
She rose to prominence with the 2018 Italian drama film ‘Youtopia’ in which she played the role of Matilde, a young girl selling her virginity online in order to save her family from losing the house.
Youtopia (2018)
Later, in the same year, she played the role of Soledad Agramante, a failed actress who gets involved in a fake robbery, in the Italian comedy film Una Vita Spericolata (Reckless).
Matilda De Angelis in Una Vita Spericolata (2018)
OTT/Web Series
In 2020, she made her digital debut when she portrayed the role of Gabriella, a lawyer specialized in matters of international law and the love interest of Georgio Rosa, in Netflix’s Italian comedy-drama film ‘L’incredibile storia dell’Isola delle Rose’ (Rose Island). Matilda earned a nomination for the David di Donatello (2021) in the category of best supporting actress for playing the role of Gabriella. ‘L’incredibile storia dell’Isola delle Rose’ is based on the true story of Georgio Rosa, an ambitious engineer who clashed with the government after building a steel island off the coast of Rimini, northern Italy, in the 60s.
Matilda De Angelis in ‘L’incredibile storia dell’Isola delle Rose’ (2020)
Television
In 2015, she made her debut on Italian TV with ‘Tutto può succedere’ in which she played the role of Ambra Scalvino, the eldest daughter of Sara Ferrero and a young rebel who has a secret dream to become a singer due to which she is in constant conflict with her mother.
Matilda De Angelis in Tutto può succedere (2015)
In 2020, she struck international stardom with the American psychological thriller series ‘The Undoing’ in which she played the role of Elena Alves, a young, sexual, and provocative woman who has an unabashed yearning to be part of the upper class as her son is attending an elite school on a scholarship.
Matilda De Angelis alongside Nicole Kidman in The Undoing (2020)
She portrayed the role of Caterina da Cremona in the historical drama ‘Leonardo’ (2021). The series is set in 1506 when the legendary renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci was accused of the murder of his friend and muse, Caterina da Cremona.
Matilda De Angelis in Leonardo (2021)
Other
In 2016, she was featured in the music video of the song “Tutto qui accade” by Negramaro, an Italian pop band.
In 2017, she lent her voice in the Disney/Pixar animated film ‘Coco’ for the character of Tía Victoria, one of the aunts of little Miguel (the protagonist). In 2018, she appeared in the music video of the song “Felicità puttana” by Thegiornalisti, an Italian indie-pop band. In 2021, she co-hosted the first evening of the Sanremo Festival alongside Amadeus, a popular Italian television and radio presenter.
Awards/Honors
- Won Best Revelation Actress Award at the Taormina Film Festival (2016) for the film ‘Veloce come il vento’ (2016)
- Won Nastri d’Argento (2016) in the category of Best Newcomer for the film ‘Veloce come il vento’ (2016)
- Won Aphrodite Award (2018) in the category of Best Emerging Actress for the film ‘Youtopia’ (2018)
- Included in the 2018 European Shooting Stars, a program that celebrates next-generation acting talent by awarding the Shooting Star accolade to ten young European actors at the Berlin International Film Festival each year
Matilda De Angelis at the Berlin International Film Festival (2018)
- Won Kineo Award (2018) in the category of Best Supporting Actress for Il Premio (2017)
Favorite Things
- Director(s): Claudio Cupellini, Xavier Dolan
- Film: Léon (1994)
- Shade of Lipstick: Rouge d’Armani Matte. 402
Facts/Trivia
- She occasionally consumes alcoholic beverages. [2]
- Since her early teenage days, she suffers from an acute skin problem and posts various pictures on the Instagram account flaunting her unfiltered face filled with acne.
Matilda De Angelis Instagram post featuring her acne-filled face
- At the age of 16, she suffered from anorexia, an eating disorder causing an intense fear of gaining weight.
- She can speak in three different languages- Italian, French, and English. In an interview with the Harper’s Bazaar magazine, when asked “What would you have studied, if you didn’t act?,” Matilda replied,
Languages, [to be] a translator.”
- As a musician, she is well-versed in playing the acoustic guitar, violin, and piano.
